FORMULARY FOR ERIKA’S DEBUT
HOST: Good evening everyone! Welcome to a night of pastel colors in celebration of
a wonderful life for a girl who is now turning into a fine lady. All of you who are here
tonight have watched her grow over the years into the wonderful person she is now.
As a jumpstart, let us all welcome and acknowledge the ever supportive and loving
family of our debutant:
ENTRANCE PARADE:
18 ROSES
18 CANDLES
18 TREASURES
HOST: This night is a celebration of adulthood and a thanksgiving of the life God has
given to our lovely celebrant. Let us put our hands together, as we welcome the main
highlight of this celebration, and as she stepped into a higher level of life, ladies and
gentlemen, our debutant, Erika rose Montehermoso!
Grand Entrance of Debutant
HOST: Wow, blooming and lovely, indeed! Saan nga ba siya nagmana? Kay mama
ba? Or kay papa? Or baka both?
Host: At this moment, I am requesting everyone to stand for the interfaith
prayer to be led by
Host: Evidently, before tonight, Erika has had happy years in a very happy home.
The love of a family will always be God’s greatest blessing. Sabi nga nila, in life we
can have several friends, classmates, and social circles, but there is only one family
who is always willing and ready to welcome us no matter what. Ladies and
gentlemen, to answer the question kung saan nga ba nagmana si Erika, here’s
Lornalee Montehermoso to welcome all of us to their lovely daughter’s 18th birthday
party.
Welcome Remarks – Lornalee Montehermoso
Host to ad-lib based on the parent’s message
Intermission number while having a dinner
HOST: Ladies and gentlemen, that was ___________________ (Introduce
members). Tonight is definitely filled with a bundle of surprises for our dear Erika.
Host: At this very moment ladies and gentlemen, the debutant together with her
closest friends will entertain us with one of the most common social dance during
debuts, the cotillion. For a quick trivia, this dance was popular in Europe and
America in 18th Century, originally for four couples in square formation. Without
further ado, let’s all welcome the COTILION DANCERS. Rounds of applause please.
Cotillion Presentation
HOST: Like a pretty flower that attracts bees and butterflies, Erika will be surrounded
by 18 equally handsome gentlemen who will represent the debutant’s 18 roses. This
flower equates the traditional 18 roses during debuts. Starting off with:
18 ROSES
(List of Males)
HOST: The last dance is of course reserved to the forever most handsome and most
loving guy in her life. To dance with our debutant, Erika’s 18 th rose, ladies and
gentlemen, Mr. Turtuliano Montehermoso Jr.!
Father and daughter dance
HOST: (In the middle of the father and daughter dance) ``the father and daughter
dance is probably one of the most loved traditions in any Filipino debut celebration.
This signifies the daughter’s first step to womanhood and the father’s acceptance of
this period in his daughter’s life.
End of Dance
HOST: Are you guys, still with me? More party-party later. They say, memories are
ways to hold on to the things that we love, and to the things that we don’t want to
lose. Sabi nga ni Cynthia Ozick: “What we remember from childhood, we remember
forever.” Tonight we have 18 selected people who will share with us her
unforgettable memory with our lovely debutant. Erika, are you ready for the bukingan
time?
(Host to call names one by one and maybe do ad-libs after every story.)
18
INSERT NAMES
HOST: All of you who are here tonight are closest to Erika. Sabi nga nila, friendship
is a million little things. This time, I’d like to ask Erika’s dear friends this question:
“What is that one word that best describes our debutant, and why?”
LIST OF NAMES
HOST: Grabeh ang bukingan ngayong gabi! Nag enjoy ba tayong lahat? Seems like
our gorgeous debutant really enjoyed tonight. From the shared memories, Erika has
shared a part of her growing years with all of us. At sabi nga ni mareng Willa Cather?
“Where there is great love, there are always wishes.” Because birthdays are always
new beginnings, new endeavors with new set of goals, sending birthday messages
and wishes is a tradition especially in our country, where we give high value to family
ties and relationship. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you these 18
Wishers for our debutant. These are the people close to the heart of our celebrant,
and whom she listens and confides to for inspiring words and friendly advices.
Starting off with the one of the women dearest to erika’s heart, representing the
mother candle candle that will be a source of light for all the well-wishers for our dear
Erika, here’s Mama Lornalee Montehermoso!
18 Candles
HOST: At this point, ladies and gentlemen, treasures from its chest are now
uncovered for this momentous event. Ninongs, ninangs, friends, and relatives of our
debutant will now share their token of treasures and happiness to our beautiful
debutant. Starting with:
List of Ninongs and Ninangs
HOST: Many ancient cultures believed that smoke carried their prayers to the
heavens. So, at the count of three, Mama Lornalee and members of the 18 Candles,
let’s say “May all our wishes come true” and blow our candles together. 1, 2, and 3…
Everybody blows the candle
HOST: Let me share another good-to-know trivia to everyone on how birthday cakes
and candles came about as a tradition during birthdays. Some believe that the
tradition of birthday candles began in Ancient Greece. Putting candles on a cake was
a special way to pay tribute to the Greek moon goddess, Artemis. They baked round
cakes to symbolize the moon. Candles were added to represent the reflected
moonlight. Today’s tradition of making wishes before blowing out the birthday
candles may have started with that belief. Enough of all those did-you-know trivia
because at this part of the program, our lovely and stunning Erika will blow the
candles on her birthday cake. And to complete that customary practice, let us all sing
joyfully a song I am very sure everybody is familiar with, the happy birthday song!
Debutant makes a wish and blows the candles.
HOST: Tonight’s celebration tells me that the best demonstration of gratitude in
response to a wonderful experience like this one can be contained in an
overwhelming thank you. Maraming salamat po for making me a part of this
memorable occasion aside from the fact that she’s also my cousin. And if there’s one
person here tonight who is more than grateful to see all of you that would be our
beloved celebrant, Erika. I’m giving the floor to our dear debutant to give her
message for all of us.
Erika will give her message.
(Thank you message from Erika.)
HOST: The night is young, and so are we, diba? Are you ready to party? We have
just actually started. Again, thank you for having me here to celebrate with all of you.
Isang malakas na “Happy birthday, Erika! naman diyan. At the count of three…1, 2,
3, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Erika! This is your host, ____________, enjoy the rest of the
night everyone!
